Known control devices for racing bicycles are associated with the curved portions of the bicycle handlebar, one on the right and one on the left, to allow the cyclist to grip it to ride the bicycle, as an alternative to the grip on the classical grip provided on the curved portions of the handlebar, and to allow simultaneous actuation/control of one or more components of the bicycle as in, for example, a brake (front or rear), a derailleur (front or rear), and possibly a cyclecomputer.
Known control devices typically comprise a support body mounted on the handlebar of the bicycle so as to project ahead from it and it is shaped so as to make it easier for the cyclist to grip it in particular racing situations. Moreover, in the case in which there is a derailleur actuation lever on the inner side wall of the support body, when the cyclist actuates this lever with his thumb it can knock against the ends of the other fingers. In these circumstances an uncomfortable condition for the cyclist occurs, with a consequent loss of efficiency of the grip.
Moreover, in the case of cyclists with large hands, the space defined on the support body between the derailleur actuation lever arranged behind the brake lever and the handlebar can be very small, with the consequent possibility of accidental contact with the aforementioned lever when the cyclist rides the bicycle gripping the handlebar at the opposite curved end portions thereof. Such an accidental contact is made even more probable by the fact that the cyclist typically wears gloves that increase the bulk of the fingers.